The Peloponnisos and Diversion Number Two

Friday the 13th turned out to bring good luck, not bad. We had a bow thruster that worked perfectly and with favorable winds we weighed anchor at 0900 and pointed Lone Star west toward the Peloponnisos Peninsula. We had an overnight stop on the island of Kythnos which is just the opposite of cosmopolitan Emoupolis on Syros – tiny, dusty and quiet but with a quaint charm. After a brief overnight stay we continued on, anxious to get to our destination – the Peloponnese Island of Hydra just off the mainland coast. With a relaxing sail, of course assisted at times with the motor, we found ourselves at the entrance to Hydra harbor.

With its close proximity to Athens Hydra is an extremely popular tourist destination. No cars are allowed on the island – transportation is on foot or by donkey. We had heard the harbor can be very crowded but we ventured in and very quickly left. Boats were rafted up two and three deep taking up almost the entire harbor with barely enough room to turn around. No way! We elected to sail further down the island and anchor out for the night. Plans were to return the next morning and wait outside the harbor entrance for boats to leave and then come in for the day. Well as so often happens in cruising, what you plan for is not what happens. While at anchorage Jan noticed the fresh water pump was staying on longer than usual. As afternoon turned into early evening it became obvious that the pump was working harder and longer. An inspection confirmed that we had a rapidly developing problem. The pump was getting ready to fail and no matter how much water you have in your tanks – no pump, no water.

Bottles were quickly filled with reserve water. We have amply spares on Lone Star but one thing we did not have was a fresh water pump maintenance kit. We made the decision that we would only see Hydra Town from a distance and that we needed to get to a location that Amel could quickly and easily ship the necessary kit to. From where we were that was Athens. Diversion two under way. We had not planned on stopping in Athens but now it was obvious we would need to. Since it was Sunday and the Amel offices were closed we decided to first continue to our originally planned stop after Hydra, the island of Poros. The earliest anything would happen would be Monday with hopefully and overnight shipment to Athens. Poros is also a popular tourist destination and home to the Greek Maritime Academy. We arrived at 1310 and med moored along the town quay. The first thing we noticed were dozens if not 100’s of young cadets in uniform on the quay and in the restaurants with family, friends and girlfriends. We don’t know if it was a special family weekend or just your average Sunday on Poros when school is in session but it made for enjoyable people watching.
We felt we had a good plan with the water pump had enough water in reserve to take care of our needs if it failed completely. Even with the issue unresolved we enjoyed our time on Poros. Lunches local tavernas, walks and hikes around the island. Monday morning the Amel After Sales Department, which is outstanding, received our emergency email and quickly put together the parts we needed for an overnight delivery. We made arrangements for the package to be sent to Zea Marina and with confirmed reservations all we had to worry about, other than the pump failing, was the package arriving. We arrived at Zea Marina 1313 Tuesday afternoon and as we were greeted by the mariner who would escort us to our slip he welcomed us with music to our ears, “We have your reservation and your package is waiting for you in the office”. Good music indeed!

We ended up spending 3 nights at the marina. It turns out the problem was because the retaining piece that keeps the seal in place had broken and the spring it was supposed to be holding back was causing the key to the impeller to slip in and out. It was a wonder the pump worked at all. Craig successfully replaced the broken parts and we now have a spare maintenance kit on board. Since he was on a roll Craig also replaced the raw water pump for the AC units. The original one had developed a leak and Amel had sent a replacement, but Craig just got around to replacing it. While that was going on Jan spent time adding to the boat provisions. We also enjoyed a change of pace – a Chinese Dinner out and Kentucky Fried Chicken on board. Yep the Colonel is in Athens right across the street from the marina.

Diversion Two turned out positive for more than just a successful repair. We spent our final day at the marina by taking the train to Athens and had the chance to see the Acropolis. We also had the good fortune to be tied up next to Esperanza in the marina and to become acquainted with the owners, guest and crew. Maurice Raynor, a fine English gentleman, was on board awaiting the arrival of his American wife Terry and friend “Doctor Bob” from California. Also on board were Scottish Captain John Tunn and Mate Brad from South Africa. A regular United Nations on board that boat! We enjoyed sharing information and as it turned out our itineraries were similar. Perhaps we will see them again as our journey continues.